Apparatus for washing clothes



March 17, 1936. J. c. NELSON APPARATUS FOR WASHING CLOTHES Filed Aug. 21, 1953 51,27 pm/ I?'I:;IVRH EY S Wi'mEss Patented Mar. 17, 1936.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR WASHING CLOTHES Application August 21, 1933, Serial No. 686,170

12 Claims.

This invention-relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus for washing clothes, and constitutes a continuation in part, of my copending application, Serial No. 666,338, filed April lated, the contents of the vat are circulated in one general direction around the vat. As the clothes circulate around the outer circumference of the vat, they rise upwardly toward the surface in a somewhat spiral curve and then are drawn inwardly toward the center where the clothes are subjected to an action which I.have characterized as an individual action on the clothes as distinguished from a collective action.

An object of my present invention is to provide an agitator of the general above-described type in which a plurality of curved and inclined blades are mounted on a downwardly and outwardly extending surface, such as that presented by a cone, and at the base of the cone, there is provided a dilated or sharply defined outwardly extending surface forming. a corniculum which serves to direct the clothes, as they are thrown downwardly and outwardly by the blades and coneshaped surface, more sharply toward-the sides of the vat.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a guard at the bottom of the agitator located in the central bore thereof to prevent clothes from accidentally getting inside of the agitator.

A further object of my invention is to provide, in connection with an agitator of the general above-described type, a hat-shaped member or cap adapted to be supported on the top of the agitator at the normal surface level of cleansing fluid to mark the desired level thereof.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a cap mounted on a cone-shaped dolly having curved and inclined blades extending from the surface thereof, the cap having a surface meeting the upper edges of the blades and extending out- Figure 1 is a. perspective vertical view showing my novel agitator.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross sectional view showing my novel agitator mounted on a washing vat.

Figure 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

The agitator of my invention may be mounted in any suitable vat or tub having side walls I I and a bottom l2. Thebottom ofthe vat at substantially its central portion is provided with an opening for the reception of one end of an upstanding sleeve I 3 secured to the bottom I2 of thevat in any suitable water-tight manner. The sleeve l3 at its upper end, is provided with a bushing M which is supported internally of the sleeve by a flange l6 mounted internally of the sleeve. The bushing constitutes an upper bearing for an oscillatable dolly shaft I! which extends up wardly from a point without the vat to a point above the bushing l4.

Any usual and well-known means may be provided for oscillating the dolly shaft through a desirable are as, for instance, 200 degrees more or less, and there ishere shown a gear l9 mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith and adapted to be driven in reverse directions by a segmental gear or rack 2| reciprocated by any suitable mechanism well-known in the art to which this invention applies. I

The dolly shaft I1 projects abovethe bushing I 4 and is formed at its. upper end with lengthwise splines or grooves 22 for inter-engagement with corresponding splines or grooves on a bearing I member 23 permanently secured within the upper I closed end 24 of the agitator, generally indicated by the numeral 26. As shownv in. the drawing, the agitator has a central hollow bore concentric with the shaft I! and the sleeve l3 Internally of the agitator near the bottom thereof, there is provided aplurality of, here shown as six, internally extending fins or projections 21 which are notched at 28 for the reception of a cupshaped bearing member 29 whichis aflixed to the projections 21 and extends downwardly and inwardly to form a portion 3| which extends along the sleeve l3 and rotates with respect thereto. In this manner, a driving connection and support for the agitator is provided by means of the dolly shaft itself and the agitator is guided by the bushing l4 and the guide bearing 29. t t f At the bottom of the agitator, mounted internally thereof, there is provided a circular shield or guard 32 preferably of aluminum or other suitable material having a circular opening for receiving the sleeve l3. The guard 32 is confined between a packing ring 33 and a flange 34 formed on the sleeve l3. The guard 32 has a plurality of apertures 35 to permit the escape of fluid and slopes upwardly and outwardly to a point 36 and then extends downwardly to form a portion 31 which is closely fitted to the internal circumference of the agitator. The guard permits free circulation of fluid and provides additional protection, preventing clothes, especially small articles,

from working their way into the interior of the agitator should they accidentally become caught between the agitator and the bottom of the vat.

At the top of the agitator, I have provided a means of adjusting the position of the bottom of the agitator with respect to the bottom of the vat which comprises, as here shown, a threaded member 38 which extends through an aperture formed in the upper closed end 24 of the agitator and contacts with the upper extremity of the shaft H. A lock nut 39 is provided for locking the threaded member in position after the desired adjustment has been made.

The outer-surface of the agitator 26 is prefe ably cone-shaped in form, the angle of inclination of the conesurface to the bottom of the vat being any desired amount, but preferably approximately ten degrees. A plurality of blades 4| extend outwardly from the cone surface and curve downwardly and around said surface any desired amount, preferably approximately 180 degrees. In order to distinguish the surface of the blades designated, I have termed one surface indicated by the numeral 42 the leading surface and the other surface indicated by the numeral 43, the following surface.

At a point indicated by the numeral 44, the blades are substantially normal to the surface of the cone, but toward the bottom, the blades are inclined with a gradually increasing inclination so that the leading surface 42 lies at an acute angle and the following surface at an obtuse angle with reference to the cone surface. The edge of the leading blade surface 42 is preferably beaded, as indicated at 45 so that a smooth edge is presented to the clothes and also to permit the use of a thinner blade which is found to be of advantage in producing a more eflicient agitator. The blades 4| gradually increase in width toward the bottom of the vat and at the bottom of the agitator, merge into a dilated or sharply outwardly curved portion 46 forming with the cone, a corniculum, for a purpose hereinafter to be described. By the term corniculum'as herein used, Imean a structure having an elongated preferably cone-shaped surface terminating in a dilated portion and forming a structure which may be described as trumpet-shaped. Preferably the lower ends of the blades extend outwardly some distance beyond the periphery of the flange 46, as shown in the drawing, so that the blades constitute the margins of channels extending downwardly from substantially the normal surface of cleansing fluid and opening toward the bottom of the vat.

0n the top of the agitator, I have provided a hat-shaped member or cap 41 which is adapted to fit snugly over the upper closed end 24 of the agitator, seat itself in a groove 53 formed therein and be held in position by a screw 43 threaded into the threaded member 38. The cap 41 may be of a circular ring 5| at about the normal surface level of cleansing fluid. A circular bead 52 is formed around the ring SI and indicates the level to which the washing vat should normally be filled the agitator in a clockwise direction, the cleansing fluid and clothes are caught in the blades and are drawn downwardly and outwardly toward the bottom and sides of the vat and circulated in a ,clockwlse direction around the vat. Upon reversal, because of the curvature and inclination of the following surface 43, no substantial reversal of the contents of the vat occurs, the agitator, to a certain extent, merely sliding through the water and tending to throw the clothes outwardly toward the sides of the vat away from the agitator. Upon again reversing, a new batch of clothes is caught in the blades and hurled downwardLv and outwardly around the vat in a clockwise direction. As the clothes circulate around the vat, they gradually rise to the surface, the path of movement being somewhat spiral in form, and upon reaching the surface, they are drawn inwardly toward the center of the vat to be subsequently caught by the blades and thrown downwardly and outwardly as'above.

described;

As the clothes are drawn and circulated across the surface, the action more fully described in my copending application, which I have characterized as an individual action on the clothes, as distinguished from a collective action, occurs. Each article of clothing is individually caught by the blades, unfurled and flexed backwardly and forwardly by the reversals of the agitator, it usually requiring several reversals before each article is entirely, so to speak, swallowed by the blades and thrown downwardly and outwardly.

I have found that by utilizing a structure in the shape of a corniculum or a cone surface with a flange sharply outwardly extending, as described above and indicated by the numeral 46, that the action of drawing the clothes downwardly from the surface and throwing them outwardly toward the sides of the vat, is aided, so that a much more eflicient operation is secured.

While the water line of the vat has been indicated as slightly above the ,upper extremity of the blades, when the agitator is oscillating, it tends to throw the water and clothes outwardly towards the sides'of the vat so that the water line is depressed adjacent the agitator and lies at or slightly below'the upper extremity of the blades. During operation, especially upon rotation of the agitator in a clockwise direction, there is a tendency to cause a slight splashing adjacent the agitator, and by'utilizing the cap which is'closely confined over the upper extremities of the blades, the splashing is eliminated. The cap, in addition. tends to lend a more finished appearance to the agitator and serves as a convenient means for marking the normal surface level of cleansing fluid. 7

Although I have shown and described a specific form and construction of apparatus as constituting an embodiment of the invention, I do not wish to restrict myselfto the details shown, as various changes and modifications may be readily made, without departing from the scope gum-z. invention, as set forth in the appended I claim:

1. In a machine for washing clothes, a washing vat having a normal surface level of cleansing fluid, an oscillatable agitator mounted in said vat, said agitator comprising an upstanding central portion, a plurality of blades extending outwardly from said central portion, a cap mounted on the top of said agitator at substantially the normal surface level of cleansing fluid, said cap having a surface of substantial area extending outwardly parallel to and facing the surface of the cleansing fluid, and means for oscillatingsaid agitator.

2. In a machine for washing clothes, a washing vat having a normal surface level of cleansing fluid, an oscillatabie agitator mounted in said vat, said agitator comprising an upstanding central portion, a plurality of blades, extending outwardly from said central portion, a cap mounted on the top of said agitator at substantially the normal surface level of cleansing fluid, said cap having a surface extending outwardly parallel to the surface of the cleansing fluid and meeting the upper edges of the blades, and means for oscillating said agitator.

3. In a machine for .washing clothes, a washing vat having a normal surface level of cleansing fluid, an oscillatable agitator mounted in said vat, said agitator comprising an upstanding central portion, a plurality of blades extending outwardly and curved downwardly and around said central portion, a cap mounted on the 4.. In a machine for washing clothes, a washing vat having a normal surface level of cleansing fluid, an oscillatable agitator mounted in said vat, means for oscillating said agitator, said agitator 4 comprising an upstanding central portion, a plurality of blades extending outwardly and curved downwardly and around said central portion, and a cap mounted on the top of said agitator at substantially the normal surface level of cleansing fluid, said cap having a surface extending outwardly parallel to the surface of the cleansing fluid and meeting the upper edges of the blades.

5. In a machine for washing clothes, a washing vat having a normal surface level of cleansing fluid, an oscillatabie agitator mounted in said vat,

on the top of said central portion at substantially the normal surface level of the cleansing fluid, said cap having a surface exposed to the top surface of the cleansing fluid and adapted to prevent splashing of'the fluid upwardly.

6. In a machine for washing clothes, as washing vat having a normal surface level of cleansing fluid, an oscillatabie agitator mounted in said vat, means for oscillating'said agitator, said agitator comprising an upstanding cone-shaped central portion and a plurality of blades curving down-. wardly and around said cone-shaped central portion and inclining with" respect thereto, and a cap mounted on the top of said agitator at substantially the normal surface level of cleansing fluid, said cap having a surface extending outwardly parallel to the surface of the cleansing fluid and meeting the upper edges of the blades.

7. In a machine for washing clothes, a washing vat having a normal surface level of cleansing fluid, an oscillatabie agitator mounted insaid vat, means for oscillatingsaid agitator, said agitator comprising a cone-shaped central portion .extending substantially from the normal surface level of cleansing fluid to the bottom of the vat and having at the bottom thereof, an outwardly extending flange, and a plurality of blades extending outwardly andcurving downwardly and around said cone-shaped. surface and inclined with respect thereto, and a cap mounted on the top of said agitator at substantially the normal surface level of cleansing fluid, said cap having a surface extending outwardly parallel to the surface of cleansing fluid and meeting the upper edges of the blades.

.8. In a washing machine; a vat, an oscillatabie agitator mounted in and extending substantially to the bottom of the vat and having a hollow ,bore, means for oscillating and supporting said agitator comprising a motor driven shaft, a perforated stationary shield mounted-at the bottom of the vat and substantially closing said hollow bore, said shield having a surface in running engagement with said agitator.

9. In a machine for washing clothes, a washing vat having. a normal surface level of cleansing fluid, an oscillatabie agitator mounted in such vat, means for oscillating said agitator, said agitator comprising an up-standing central portion and a plurality of blades extending substantially from the top of said central portion downwardly and curving in the same direction around the surface of said central portion, means for preventing -splashing of thewashing fluid comprising a cap having a surface of substantial area facing the cleansing fluid and extending substantially parallel thereto, said cap being moimted on said agitator at substantially the normal surface of cleansing fluid.

10. In a machine for washing clothes, a washing vat having a normal surface level of cleansing fluid, an oscillatabie agitator mounted in said vat. means for oscillating said agitator, said agitator comprising an up-standing central portion and a plurality of blades extending substantially from the top of said central portion downwardly and curving in the same direction around the surface of said central portion and said blades being inclined in the same direction with respect to the axis of said central portion, means for preventing splashing of the washing fluid comprising a cap having a surface of substantial area facing the cleansing fluid and extending substantially parallel thereto, said cap being mounted on said agitator at substantially the normal surface level of cleansing fluid.

11. In a washing machine, a vat, an oscillatable agitator extending upwardly from substantially the bottom of the vat and having a hollow bore, means for oscillating and supporting said agitator comprising a motor driven shaft, a sleeve concentric with said shaft and extending upwardly to a point above the normal liquid level'in the vat, a member in said hollow bore secured to said agitatorand having a running fit with said sleeve, and a shield for preventing clothes from being 1 caught beneath the agitator, said shield being stationary with respect to the agitator and substantially closing the lower end of said hollow bore.

12. In a washing machine, a vat, an oscillatabie agitator extending upwardly from substantially the bottom of the vat and having a hollow bore, means for oscillating said agitator comprising a motor driven shaft, a sleeve extending upwardly through the bottom of the vat concentric with said shaft and internally of said hollow bore, a flange on said sleeve and a shield confined between said flange and the bottom of the vat, said shield being stationary with respect to the agitator, substantially closing the lower end of said hollow bore and forming a running flt with the agitator.

JABEZ C. NELSON. 

